Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Stress

Rochesterians benefit from a low cost of living and remarkably short commute times. Coupled with the fact that no sacrifice occurs from an educational or cultural perspective, the overall package is nothing short of marvelous. We've seen that this high quality of life might explain the high rate of volunteerism. One would imagine that it might also translate into less stress.

CNNMoney recently ranked 55 metropolitan areas with over 1 million people in terms of stress. The methodology looked at five broad categories including the economy and money, work, family, lifestyle, and crime. The 10 Least Stressed Out Cities (from most to least stressed) were:

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About Me

In 2010, my wife and I moved to Rochester, NY. This move was not prompted by necessity, family, or another involuntary factor. We were community physicians, and we could have taken our trades essentially anywhere. Between the two of us, we had lived in New York City, Boston, and Washington D.C. We knew a total of zero people in Rochester. Why then would we leave the BosWash corridor for a much maligned city on the fringes of the Rust Belt and in the heart of the Snowbelt?
Because our research had revealed a surprising phenomenon. We had not discovered the dying industrial region that is portrayed by popular perception. To the contrary, we had uncovered a progressive history, artistic excellence, remarkable ingenuity, elite (suburban) public education, and economic determination. How, we asked ourselves, could such an enriching region have such a marginal reputation? We have since termed this discrepancy as the Rochester Phenomenon. While the Rochester Phenomenon has a certain charm, the future of this region depends in part on bridging the gap between perception and reality. It is hoped that this blog can contribute to this process, if even in a miniscule way.